Item 3A: Approval of City Council Minutes

Home Browse Search

became nothing more than enclosed smoking boxes, defeating the purpose for which they were set up. She said he also felt business had improved because more non-smokers were going out. She thanked the City Council for taking care of the bar and restaurant industry workers from smoke. She hoped the council would vote to protect the workers who still had to go out into the enclosed smoking rooms. Rie Lee, 33604 Indian Drive, Coburg, provided a handout for the council. He stated that he worked in the restaurant industry for over 16 years, having been general manager of the Wild Duck and the 6th Street Grill among others, and he supported the smoke-free ordinance. He observed that many employers were concerned about the loss of revenue due to the law. He related that the first week the ordinance was in effect there had been a drop in lottery revenues, but they since returned to normal. Alcohol sales did not change. He averred that the real difference for him was that a winter cold came and went instead of settling into bronchitis as it had every year prior and when he witnessed fellow workers succeeding in their efforts to quit smoking. He wondered if allowing smoking rooms in which employees were not allowed to enter would be legal according to Oregon Liquor Control Commission regulations. Dr. Gary Young, 741 East 20th Avenue, said he worked in the Emergency Room at Sacred Heart Hospital. He stated that he grew up with smoking parents who both succumbed to smoking-related diseases. He related that he treated a woman earlier in the year whose asthma was exacerbated by secondhand smoke she was subjected to as a waitress. He also recalled a middle-aged patient who developed chronic lung disease due to secondhand smoke exposure. He stressed that the costs were much greater than what the patrons paid in bar tabs and lottery revenue. He expressed pride in Eugene for being the second city in Oregon to take a stand on behalf of workers exposed to secondhand smoke. He asked the council to take action to prevent the circumvention of the current regulations regarding outdoor smoking areas. Mayor Piercy closed the public hearing. Councilor Kelly reiterated that the council would discuss this issue on September 28. Councilor Bettman thanked everyone for the informative testimony. She reminded staffthat she asked for the language she would need to change the percentages in order to protect workers so that only 25 percent of an outdoor smoking area could be enclosure. She recommended that language include an allowance of one- to one-and-a-half years for existing outdoor smoking structures to comply and that permit fees should be waived. Councilor Pape recalled that Dr. Jones testified that carcinogens from smoke descended in smoking areas and asked if there was documentation in this regard. He also wished to learn how the City of Corvallis was handling implementation of its smoking ordinance. The meeting adjourned at 10:19 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Dennis M. Taylor City Manager MINUTES-Eugene City Council Regular Session September 26, 2005 Page 17